WHERE BABIES COME FROM

Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. - Psalms 127:3 (TLB)

     Randy sat at his desk staring at the computer screen before him. He was trying to work on next Sunday’s Sunday School lesson, but like the screen before him, his mind was blank. “O,Lord,” he called out “What should my topic be?” but all he heard in return was someone singing.

     “Mama and Papa sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Mama and the baby carriage.” Came the words of an old familiar song. How often his little sister would tease him with it when he was dating Daisy but it wasn’t his little sister singing, it was Stella and she was coming down the hall to his office.

     “I just learned a secret from Mindy,” She said as she walked through the door, “Or was it Cindy, I’m always mixing them up.” “Is that why your singing that song?” Randy asked as he looked up from his blank screen. “Sort of.” Stella responded and than started singing again. “Well, that’s nice,” Randy told, “Now run along, I’ve got work to do.” But Stella didn’t leave.

     “Is something wrong?” Randy asked a few minutes later. “Don’t you want to know what the secret is?” Stella asked . “No” Randy told her. “Aren’t you even curious?” Stella asked in return. “No.” Randy told her again but that didn’t stop her from telling her little secret. “I learned where babies come from!” she blurted out.

     “What was that” Randy coughed and sputtered “Cindy told me where babies come from” Stella replied, “So do you want to know too?” she asked. “I already do” Randy quickly told her and started to think of some way to change the subject. “And you do you know what else?” Stella added, “I think the stork made a big mistake.”

     “Stork?” Randy said with a puzzled look, “What stork?” “The one that brings the babies, Silly” Stella answered, “And I think he made a big mistake when he brought Harold to our house.” “Oh, that stork” Randy said with a chuckle.

     “By the way” Stella started to ask, “So you know the stork’s address?” “No, I don’t think I do” Randy replied, “Why do you need to know” “I want to ask him to bring me a baby sister and see if he’ll take Harold back.” “Knowing Harold, I can see why you would want to send him back.” Randy smiled as he turned back to his blank screen but now he had an idea for his Sunday School lesson.

     Psalms 127:3 says Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. (TLB) It may be fun to talk of storks that bring us children but we need to remember that each child is a gift from God. To help illustrate this idea let's look at three different stories in the Old Testament.

     The first story is Hannah's story and can be found in 1 Samuel 1:1-6. One of the first things we learn about Hannah is the fact that she is one of two wives belonging to her husband. We than learn that she had bore no children while her husband's other wife had. And while she was loved by her husband more than his other wife, she was constantly ridiculed for not having bore children which we learn was a result of God closing her womb.

     Our next story revolves around a man named Abimelech and his story is found in Genesis 20. Abimelech was a king and like most kings he collected many wives for himself. Well, this time he collected another man's wife after as because of a lie and as a result his other wife and his maids cease to be able to have children for God had close their wombs.

     In our third story we turn to Genesis 30:1-2. where we read of Rachel's dilemma. Rachel had an older sister name Leah and they were both married to the same man. Because Leah was not loved as much as Rachel was, God allowed her to have children but kept Rachel barren. Needless to say, this caused problems in Jacob's household and in verse 1 Rachel demands that her husband giver her children or she would die. This didn't set too well with Jacob and in the following verse he replies “Am I in the place of God , who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

     There were two things Jacob knew. First, he knew he wasn’t God. Second, he knew that children originate with God.

     When we look at all three of these stories, we can see that what Jacob knew was and still is true. In each story we can see that children were desired but it was by God's choice they children were not being born for children are His gift to us.

     Psalms 127:3-5 reads Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies. (TLB) To that let's add Psalm 113:9 - He gives children to the childless wife, so that she becomes a happy mother. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

     The Psalmist recognizes God as the giver and creator of life when he writes in Psalm 139:13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (NIV)

      Here's Something To Ponder

• Do you see children as a blessing or a nuisance?
• We were all once children if we're not still